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ceri_steele

Best 4 bedroom floor plan under 3,000 square feet? Really struggling.

6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago

We are trying to find a floorplan with a generous living room and kitchen (don't care if the rooms are small) under 3,000 square feet. Any leads? My eyes are burning from looking online.

3 bedroom upstairs with two bathrooms, master down, at least a 16 x 20 living room (either direction), pantry needed in kitchen, back porch (covered or not), no basement, lot is an acre but the smaller the footing the cheaper the build, hence the two story request.

There are a lot that work but just looking at pictures of floor plans doesn't give a great idea and many don't have client photos attached. Has anyone built a floorplan they really love?


Four Gables by Mitchell Ginn looks promising with an added side garage as do


these.


Comments (23)

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    Get an architect and honestly we have no info from you so why would we want to go searching if you have already done that. We would need to know the lot it is going on are you into bedrooms in the basement, how many bathrooms do you NEED are you going 2 storey so much info is missing to even dare hope for help.

  • 6 years ago

    We are building right now and our main level is 2750ish square feet. We only have three bedrooms on that level BUT we have larger rooms so a 4th bedroom would definitely be possible, especially if we had another 250 sf to work with.

    There are MANY things to consider, though, when looking at house plans (one story vs two story, family demographics, etc.). It might even be that you need to have an architect design a house best suited for your family's particular needs.

  • 6 years ago

    Updated description.


  • PRO
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    My first suggestion ,now that I see the plans you have been looking at , is do a true 2 storey house forget all the useless gables and get the floor space you need . Forget bonus rooms and get a plan that works for you. A simplr 2 storey house costs less to build and provides the max space inside . Every kog in the exterior every gable costs money and IMO for no reward. Kids bedrooms need to be a decent size since as the get older they spend a lot of time there .Also for vautled ceilings choose 9’ for the main floor and 8’ for the upper . Check out colonial style homes to get an idea of really good design and good use of space.

  • 6 years ago

    You can continue to look for a generic plan or you can find a residential architect to create exactly what you need for your family. There are even architects on this forum who will work with you remotely and are reasonable if you can’t find one locally.

  • 6 years ago

    PS none of the plans you posted are good. The interiors will be dark. A house should not be more than two rooms deep in any direction, including covered porches, attached garages, etc.

    It should not have utility rooms such as closets and pantries on outside walls.

    All public rooms and bedrooms should have windows on at least two walls.

    The best shaped houses are shaped like an L, I, U, T or H shape.

    The houses above fail on multiple counts

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    The biggest drawback of the online plans is they're designed for typical subdivision lot widths even when the garage is entered from the side (recycled narrow lot plans?). Typically the garage is stuck into a notch carved out of the front corner of the house resulting in a crowded facade with overlapping gables and a boxed bay window or a little pent-roof.

    The design of the house should start with an overall concept and the design should follow instead of the reverse as seen in the online designs.

    When someone drives by your house they should slow down to look at it.

    None of the designs you posted qualify.

    You should start this discussion by posting the site information and climate.

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    Pretend that the house you build is as special as you are. Now do you think you should create something for yourself or pick someone else's house? Find a talented local architect that will design a home with you to meet your needs, fit your site, and be as special as you are.

  • 6 years ago

    Keep pounding that square block into the round hole. With enough brute force, you can shave off the corners and ignore the gaps. Humans are amazingly pretzel adaptable to illogical approaches and bad design. Designing a round block would be a lot easier, but don’t let that stop you from tackling it the wrong way! You can do it!

  • 6 years ago

    We looked at Four Gables as well, it’s gorgeous. Don’t know if you’re on Instagram, but if you do a search there you’ll find dozens of people who have built or are currently building it.

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    What I see in the pics you posted in the OP are houses with really a lot of roof lines. That is bad for several reasons. As Patricia Colwell mentioned, every jog costs more money than a straight line. Also all those roof lines and jogs create an impossible-to-decorate interior. And the ceilings of each room will be funky and difficult to light. And, if you are in a colder climate, the freeze-thaw cycle with all those crevices is asking for trouble. Also, along the lines of what Cpartist mentioned, houses with a roof that is so dominant it takes up more than 50% of the elevation (like the Milledgeville you pictured) means a dark interior.

    I agree with the others that say it is more efficient and will be a better result if you hire an architect rather than try to find a plan online to MacGyver to fit your needs. Furthermore, pick the architect carefully. If she starts showing you plans of a house with a bunch of different roof lines, or a lot of jogs to the elevation, or an overly dominant roof, move on.

  • 6 years ago

    Try an architect.

  • 6 years ago

    following

  • 6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    To help clear your head after looking at internet designs, here is Tick Hall, designed by the architect Stanford White, sited by Fredrick Law Olmstead and owned by Dick Cavett who rebuilt it after it was destroyed by fire. Featured in the 2003 documentary "From the Ashes: The Life and Times of Tick Hall" Last I heard it was for sale.




  • 6 years ago

    If you’re trying to save money, then why are you looking at all these mini-Mc’s? All of those roof lines and jigs and jogs add up to way more money than an architect’s fee. With far worse results. They are not designed for acreage either. They are designed to have makeup only on the front of a small city lot. Take that and put it in the middle of an acre, and all of the chintziness and meanness of the design is fully exposed. These are all overblown, and under designed at the same time. They focus on meaningless dr orations rather than livability snd affordability.

    https://mcmansionhell.com/post/151896249151/the-10-circles-of-mcmansionhell-the-mcmansion

  • PRO
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    How many hours have you spent, without result, looking for an appropriate house plan?

    What do you calculate your time is worth?

    That's the sunk expense you have already incurred. I'll make a wild guess that for that sum you may have been able to work with an experienced architect, to design a house to fit your property, life style and budget.

    Does this make sense?

  • 6 years ago

    The design on these plans don't make sense. There is no symmetry on the exterior and the proportions inside don't utilize the space well. Form and function is what you need to focus on.

  • PRO
    6 years ago

    Ceri - Have you contacted a local architect yet?

  • 6 years ago

    We remodeled a classic old two story 1777 center chimney colonial, pretty sure it is 40 X 30, 2,400 square feet, not counting small 3rd floor bedroom and a little attic space under the roof. Plain rectangular shape, no frills outside. Quite open downstairs with kitchen, pantry or front closet under the stairs, dining room, good sized TV room for DH’s ginormous TV, living room with view, fireplace, downstairs bath with shower, constructed not metal circular staircase to basement, mud room area with bench, shelves and good sized closet at side, most used door, three bedrooms and two full baths on second floor, including large master and master bath and a fourth bedroom and pull down attic space under the roof, vaulted ceiling over the stairs. It is mind boggling to imagine what you have the opportunity to do without the constraints of pre-existing infrastructure and a good architect.

  • 5 years ago

    Ended up getting an architect. Wasn't as much money as I thought. Framing is now complete!

  • 5 years ago

    What’s it look like???

  • 5 years ago

    Congrats. would love to see pics